Burdens That Allow Us To Fly
by BonesFan447
Summary: (AU) Oh, high school. Seems innocent right? Well you're wrong. It's not just grades and studying here. Love, sex, you guess the rest. On top of that, will a few murders complicate life at Riverside High? Chapter 4 is now up!
1. The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

_**Hi everyone! As you probably saw, I took down my previous fanfic, I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In, because of some unexpected events that occurred. I decided to start it over. I wasn't very confident about how I started it anyway. I've been meaning to restart it for quite some time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this modified version of I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In! Just a heads up, Brennan's thoughts are italicized. I figured I should mention that now to avoid confusion. Enjoy chapter one!**_

* * *

The clock read 4:47am. She stared at the colon that separated the hours and minutes on the clock flash again and again. She let out a heavy sigh.

"It's no use. I'll never be able to get back to sleep. I don't have much time anyway.." She glanced at the clock once again. A minute had gone by. Taking a breath, she swung her comforter off her body and headed toward her bathroom. She flipped the light switch on in the room and immediately winced at the change in brightness.

"Way to start the morning off.. Go figure." She looked at herself in the mirror and guffawed.

"I'm a mess." She grabbed her hairbrush and began her morning routine. After she completed the at hand task, she took one last look at herself. Looking down at her shaking hands, she huffed.

"It's only the first day of high school, Temperance. Calm down. Only the education will matter in the future. You can do this. You're Temperance Brennan, you can do anything." With a smile, she headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, Temperance." Brennan's foster father, Dave, looked up from his newspaper and smiled.

"Hello Dave, Lynn." Her foster mother, Lynn, smiled in a somewhat cold manner.

"Today's your first day of high school, Temperance. Are you nervous?" Lynn continued her somewhat cold smile after asking her question.

"Oddly, yes. I find that-"

"Only a simple yes or 'no answer is required. Nothing more." She glared at her foster daughter.

"I apologize for inconveniencing you." Brennan grabbed an orange out of the basket resting on the counter.

"I guess I'll be leaving. I'll return after school." Dave stood up.

"No, Temperance, please. I'll drive you." She looked at Dave for a moment.

"A-alright. If you insist." He smiled kindly.

"Shall we?"

"I suppose so." Brennan grabbed her bag and followed Dave out to his car.

* * *

Finally arriving at Riverside High School, Brennan stepped out of the car after thanking Dave for the ride over.

"Well, here we go. I can do this." She took a deep breath, hoping for the best, and headed into the massive brick building that stood before her. Brennan found her locker after a few moments of searching and began to unload her bag's contents into the unit.

"Sweetie!" Brennan twirled around to see Angela Montenegro barreling towards her. The two girls embraced.

"Hey Ange!" Angela pulled away.

"I'm so glad you're here! We have _so_ much too talk about, honey."

"What is there to talk about? It's only the first day!"

"I'm sure we'll have loads to talk about at lunch. I'm off to geometry, Bren. See you later!"

"Bye Angela." She waved at her best friend then headed off to the first class indicated on her schedule: Chemistry.

Arriving at the classroom, she walked in and found a seat at an empty table close to the window and relaxed. Lucky for her, she brought a book with her. She began to read it as more people walked in and found a seat. Someone stopped by her table and looked at Brennan.

"Hodgins! Hey!"

"Hey Brennan! Good to see you. It's been a while."

"Indeed it has. Please, sit down." He smiled and took the seat next to her.

"God, I hope we can be partners this year. This class will be a breeze."

"I concur. We'll both have an easy A, that's for sure." The two chuckled.

"Does Angela still hate me?"

"Maybe just a little." She giggled

"She's the one who insisted we play that stupid closet game in the first place!"

"Oh Angela and her irrational sexual desires." They both smiled and shook their heads.

"Alright everyone, class is about to begin. I'm passing back your textbooks. Please write your full name in print and bring them every day. If you lose it, you pay for it. Now about your science partners, the person you're sitting next to? Yeah, might wanna say hi because that's your partner all year. No exceptions." Both Brennan and Hodgins smiled.

* * *

After that class ended, Brennan and Hodgins walked out together.

"Man, that guy is a jerk. At least we have an easy A this year."

"Indeed we do. Well, I'm off to French. See you later, Jack."

"Take care, Brennan." The two parted ways at the top of the stairs.

* * *

After going through yet another boring round of introductions and receiving textbooks, Brennan headed off to Algebra 2.

_I bet this will be equally boring. I hate the first day._

Brennan arrived at the classroom to find it nearly empty. She found a seat at the end of a front table and took out her book again. As the classroom filled up, the noise level rose.

_I hope I don't get a headache. It's only third period.._

Just as she finished her thought, the teacher spoke up.

"Settle down, everyone. Keep it down to a dull roar please. Class starts in about three minutes." Brennan continued reading for a few moments until someone spoke to her.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" She looked up from her book to see a very attractive male towering over her current seat.

"Uh, sure."

"Thank you." He smiled and she did the same.

"Anthropology, huh?"

"Excuse me?"

"Anthropology. That's the subject of the book you're reading."

"Yes, it is. I enjoy it very much. I plan to become an anthropologist one day."

"What is anthropology exactly?"

"Well, to put it simply, it's the study of human remains."

"Ah, I see. That's interesting." She smiled.

"Indeed. Not many people know what it is.."

"More people should know about it. It seems pretty cool... My name's Booth, by the way. Seeley Booth." He held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Booth. I'm Brennan. Temperance Brennan." She shook his hand and they both smiled at each other. They maintained eye contact for several moments. There was something different about this guy. Brennan just couldn't figure it out. At least for now.

"Alright everyone." The two separated immediately ad turned their attention to the teacher.

"I'm passing out your textbooks. You are to bring them to every class unless instructed otherwise. If you leave it in your locker and request to grab it, I'll have to mark you tardy. Now, I'd like to get to know all of you, so we're going to play a game. Please say your name and something that interests you. We'll start here." She pointed to the table to the left of Brennan's. The two who occupied the table took turns introducing themselves. Now it was Booth's turn.

"Hi everyone.. I'm Seeley Booth and I love hockey." He sat down.

"Very good Mr. Booth." Brennan stood up.

"Hello, I'm Temperance Brennan and I love anthropology." The teacher could only stare at her.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Reese?"

"No, of course not. I'm just shocked. Anthropology?"

"That's what I said, yes."

"Interesting.. Next please." Brennan eyed the woman with a disapproving look and sighed.

"Great.." She mumbled.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, class was dismissed. Brennan gathered her things and walked out of the room.

"Hey, wait up!" She turned around to see Booth walking in her direction.

"Yes?" She allowed him to catch up before both of them began walking down the stairs together.

"I just, uh, wanted to say that I think you'll be a great anthropologist someday."

"But you barely know me."

"That's true, but I can just tell you'll be great." She smiled softly.

"Thanks, Booth. No one's ever really cared about my interests.. I.. Thank you for sitting next to me."

"I'm glad I could get to know you a little bit. You seem very nice, Temperance.. I gotta go... See you around?"

"Yeah, definitely. See you around." They both smiled and held their gaze for several moments before parting ways. Brenan smiled and sighed happily.

"This is a nice change. People never usually like me, let alone talk to me." The smile never left her face as she headed to her locker to drop off her things and grab her lunch tote.

"Hey Bren!" Angela sauntered over to Brennan's locker.

"Ready for lunch? I'm _starving_."

"I highly doubt you're starving, Ange. You're just very hungry."

"I am that. Now let's go!" She shut her locker door and they walked down the hall.

"Tell me all about your day so far. I hope it was more interesting than mine."

"Well..."

* * *

_**I hope you guys enjoyed that! More chapters will be coming soon, I promise. I'll try to be better with updating this time around ;) Please leave me a review and let me know how I did! :)**_


	2. The Start Of Something Amazing

_**Hello again! My apologies for the sort of long wait between updates. I'll try to write a few chapters tomorrow and Friday so I'll have something to give you guys. Anyway, I'm glad everyone liked the first chapter! I hope you enjoy chapter two just as much or more than chapter one. As always, reviews are appreciated!**_

* * *

"Well..." Brennan smiled.

"Come on, tell me! I'm dying over here!" She rolled her eyes at Angela.

"Hodgins and I are science partners in chemistry, so we both have an easy A. He asked if you still hated him." The girls laughed.

"Eighth grade was such an odd year. I'm just glad I wanted to be with Hodgins and not some idiot who tries dating every girl in school. And I don't hate him by the way. I just.. Strongly dislike him." Brennan chuckled.

"So.. You hate him."

"I do not! Okay maybe a little bit." They set their lunches onto a table and sat across from each other.

"He was just following the rules of the game, Ange! Don't hate the opponent, hate the game." The girls pulled out the contents of their lunch totes and started eating.

"Don't hate the _player_, sweetie. But I guess you're right. Maybe I should talk to him.. But enough about him. I still feel like you're hiding something from me."

"Okay fine, I met this guy in my Algebra 2 class.."

"Oooooh sweetie! What's his name? What does he look like? I need details!" Brennan laughed and smiled.

"Relax, nothing happened. We just.. Talked a little bit."

"That's a start."

"I suppose so, yes. He was very kind. His name is Seeley Booth."

"Hmm. I'll ask Roxie if she knows him. Do you know if he's in our grade?"

"I don't think he is. I didn't ask. He seems like he's a few years above us. A Junior, maybe? Senior? I'll have to ask him when I see him again."

"What happened with you two in math? Did you _only_ talk?"

"I think I felt what you would call a spark."

"This is great! Maybe you can finally have a _real_ boyfriend. And no, Andy Pfleuger doesn't count."

"Why'd you say it like that?"

"Because he's not a real guy! He's not... I don't know. He doesn't act like someone you'd be interested in."

"I suppose you are correct. This could be a good thing. Like you and Hodgins. It could be a good thing." Brennan took a bite of her salad.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! He seems like he's still attracted to you, Ange."

"When doesn't he seem attracted to me?." She laughed and took a drink.

"I wonder if you'll have anymore classes with this Booth guy."

"Angela.."

"Bren, I think you should go for it."

"I _just_ met him!"

"Who cares?"

"I do!"

"Ugh, fine. Well then you'll just have to get to know him more. And you'll have to tell me every detail, of course." Angela smiled at her best friend.

"When don't I?" Brennan laughed.

"True, true. Oh sweetie, I'm excited for you. This'll be fun!"

"For who?" Both of them laughed.

"Man, I wish lunch wasn't over right now." The girls stood up and made their way over to the garbage cans in the cafeteria then walked to their lockers.

"According to my schedule I'm off to English next and then World History, what about you?"

"I have gym next. Ugh. See you later, Bren."

"Bye Ange." And with that, the girls parted ways, but not before a quick hug. As she walked to her next class, Brennan's mind began to wander..

_What if Angela's right? Maybe I have a chance with him..._

* * *

After sitting through an hour of English and an hour of World History, Brennan headed to her locker with a smile. It was free period. She decided to spend the next hour and a half in the library reading whatever anatomy, anthropology, and kinesiology material she could find. Not paying attention to where she was going, she collided with someone in the hall.

"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry. I wasn't..." She looked up to see none other than Seeley Booth.

"... Paying attention..."

"Hello again, Temperance. It's nice to see you!" He smiled at her. She did the same.

"It's nice to see you again as well. I apologize for running into you just now."

"Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us. Where are you headed off to?"

"Me? Oh, I'm going to the library."

"Free period, I assume?"

"Your assumption is correct." She smiled.

"You have a beautiful smile, Temperance." Brennan blushed.

"Thank you, Booth. You're very kind to say that."

"It's true. More people should realize how beautiful you are." She looked to the floor as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Come on, let's walk to the library together. I'm on free period too." She looked up from the floor. A smile formed on her face.

"You are?"

"Yeah, I am. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."

"So am I!" She blushed again.

"I sounded too excited, I apologize." He chuckled at her.

"You're so cute."

"Cute? Really?"

"Oh yes. You're definitely cute." They both laughed softly.

"I suppose I have my moments."

"So, what are you planning on doing in the library? I mean, what are you gonna read?"

"Anything related to anatomy, physiology, anthropology, or kinesiology. I just hope I can find something."

"I'm sure you will. There's always something."

"I hope so. I can rarely find anything on any of the four topics. It's very disappointing. What are you planning on reading? Or are you just getting ahead with homework?"

"I'll probably do both, actually. Homework is my priority though. I have hockey practice tonight. We have a big game tomorrow."

"Oh, I see. Well good luck!"

"Thanks. Now, let me see if I can help you find some anthropology books."

"You really don't have to. You said you have homework to do and I don't want to waste your time."

"Really, it's not a big deal. I'd love to help you."

"If you insist.."

After about 15 minutes of searching, they found a few books for Brennan and found a table.

"You know, I should start calling you Bones."

"Bones? Why?"

"Because you like anthropology. That involves bones, right?"

"Well, the branch I'm interested in does, but not every branch involves bones in particular."

"Then it's settled. I'll call you Bones."

"But -"

"Just trust me on this." She sighed.

"Okay, fine." She picked up an anthropology book and began to read.

* * *

Several minutes ticked by. Closer to an hour, really. Brennan was lost in her book while Booth was struggling over a math problem. She heard him tapping his pencil on the table and looked over.

"Would you like some help?"

"Nah, I got it."

"Are you positive? You seem like you're having trouble solving that."

"Alright, sure. I'll take the help." She scooted closer to him and looked at what he was trying to solve.

"I think I know why you're having trouble. You're switching two steps." She got even closer to him and demonstrated the correct way of solving the equation.

"See?" She looked up at him. They were mere inches away from each other. Brennan glanced at his lips then back up to his eyes. Booth swallowed hard.

"Thanks, Bones."

"No problem." They stayed like that for a few moments. Those few moments seemed like a eternity to them both. Suddenly, a bell rang. Brennan took that opportunity to grab her things and take off.

"Bones." He grabbed her wrist just before she could get away. She looked at him, breathing heavily.

"Go out with me." Although his request took her by surprise, she responded immediately.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

"Bones.."

"... I can't..."

"Are you with someone else?"

"No, it's not that.. I just..."

"Then please?" She sighed and relaxed a bit.

"Alright, fine. I suppose one date won't make much of a difference. So that's what I'll give you. One date."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Don't make me change my mind."

"No, _please_ don't." She held back a smile. He really seemed to want this.

"Okay.. Now can I have my arm back?"

"Right... Sorry..."

"It's perfectly fine, Booth." She smiled. Quickly glancing at the table, she saw that she left one of her books on the table. She walked over and grabbed it.

"See you soon." Brennan reached up and kissed his cheek then disappeared into the crowd of people with the blink of an eye.

* * *

_**Well, I hope that chapter was somewhat satisfactory for you all. I enjoyed writing this, although it took a few days haha. Oh, I'd like to thank my friend Autumn for her help with a few parts of this chapter, particularly the end. She's absolutely wonderful. Okay I'm off. I'll have another update for you guys soon! Please review! Thanks for reading :)**_


	3. Doubts and Complications

**_Happy belated Valentine's Day Massacre, Boneheads! I apologize, yet again, for the long wait for this update. Writers block is a real bitch. Bones being on hiatus doesn't help much either. By the way, I really appreciate the positive response from the last chapter. It makes me happy to know you guys like what I'm writing. Now moving on to the real point, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!_**

* * *

Brennan sighed. It was after midnight and she couldn't fall asleep. Nothing she tried would help. She maneuvered herself onto her right side and stared at an empty wall and spoke to herself.

"Was it right for me to say yes? Should I just... Call it off?" She blew out a stream of air.

"Why is this so complicated? It's just a date!" Unable to deal with the constant tossing and turning any longer, Brennan threw off her covers and made her way downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. As she walked, her focus was on the sound her bare feet made against the cold hardwood floor. After downing the glass of water, she made her way back to her room. Just as she closed the door, a thought popped into her mind.

"Wait.. This is really the first time anyone has ever noticed me and had some interest in me." Her eyes widened.

"Oh my god. Could Angela actually be right about this..?"

"I can't do this. I need to sleep. No matter what it takes. I just can't think about this right now." She crawled back into bed and closed her eyes. After a short while, she drifted off to sleep with images of Booth circling around her head.

* * *

At school that morning, Brennan was very out of it and it didn't go unnoticed by Angela.

"Are you okay, Bren? You look _exhausted_."

"I'm fine." She smiled stiffly.

"Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"

"Angela, it's nothing. I promise." Brennan picked up her bag and began to walk to her locker.

"I'll talk to you later. Trust me, I'm fine." She smiled once more before vanishing, leaving Angela behind.

"I'll figure it out eventually." And with that, she made her way to her own locker.

* * *

Just as Brennan collected the materials for her first two courses, she began to walk briskly to her first class when she felt a hard object crash into her and the books she was holding flew out of her hands and onto the tiled floor of the hallway with a loud smack.

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry... Booth?" She looked up to see none other than Seeley Booth right in front of her.

"Oh, um. Hi Bones. I wasn't expecting to see you right now.."

"Oh goodness, my books..." They both looked to the floor to see Brennan's books scattered across the hall.

"Here, let me help you with that." He began to grab some books and she did the same. Once they collected all of her books, they finally got a chance to really look at each other.

"Thank you.. Really..." They smiled at each other.

"Hey, uh, about yesterday.. I'm sorry if you feel like I forced you into anything.. I, uh. I didn't sleep very well last night because I felt bad and..."

"You haven't been sleeping well either..?" Upon hearing this, he lifted his gaze from the ground to her beautiful blue eyes.

"No, not at all. I know I'm probably exaggerating all of this way too much but I just don't wanna screw this up and I... I just don't know."

"I don't know either.. All I know is that I have feelings for you that I have yet to figure out the meaning of." She looked away.

"Temperance." Booth hooked his index finger under her chin just enough to make her look into his eyes.

"I know it's hard for you not to know what something means, and I understand that. Hey, I know you're scared, and you have a right to be, but you just have to trust yourself on this. Go with your heart."

"I'm a brain person, not a heart person. I can't change... I don't know how." Tears began to form in her eyes. She turned away from him and whispered something he almost didn't hear.

"I'm sorry..." She began to walk away when he called out to her.

"Bones, wait." Her still teary eyes met his one more time.

"This isn't over." The corners of her mouth curled upward only the slightest bit and she hurried off to her science class leaving a heart-crushed Booth standing in the almost empty hallway.

* * *

As she sat at her desk, Brennan couldn't seem to stop tapping her pencil. She began to think to herself.

"_I probably just ruined the best thing that could've happened to me._"

She bit her lip to hold back tears.

"_Oh god... I have to sit with him in third period._"

An odd sensation rushed through her chest. She was nervous. Usually in these situations, she would run as far away as possible. But that just wasn't happening today.

"_I'm lucky today's class is a repeat of yesterday. I don't think I could listen to anyone go on and on about nothing today anyway._"

Just as she finished her thought, her class was dismissed and she was off to French.

* * *

Another boring hour had passed, but instead of ding nothing but listening to a science teacher rattled on and on about nothing in particular, she took notes. Much better than doing nothing. But this meant it was third period. Time to face Booth. Brennan strolled into the empty math classroom and sighed in relief. Alone time. As a reflex, she pulled out the anthropology book she was reading yesterday. She blushed at the memory of her connection with Booth over this very book. As soon as she heard footsteps approaching the room, any trace of happiness was gone from her face. Booth walked into the room and immediately stopped as he saw Brennan. Noticing the sound of footsteps suddenly disappearing, she looked up from her book.

"Oh, hi Booth." She bit her lip and looked away from him again. He walked up to the table they shared and sat down gingerly.

"I'm sorry Bones. I pushed you too far." Brennan felt herself get warm. This might not turn out well.

"It's not your fault I'm so emotionally damaged."

"Hey, don't say that." He put his hand over hers, causing Brennan to look up at him. Booth saw the tears in her eyes again and felt his throat close up.

"Oh come here." She fell into his side and allowed a tear to fall. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder in an effort to calm her down enough to get through the class.

"It's okay to cry, Bones. I'm right here." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but didn't move away from Booth.

"Thank you, Booth.." He kissed her head and felt her smile into his side.

"We need to talk about this later." She nodded, not feeling like speaking.

"You don't have to say anything right now. Just breathe." She nodded again and said something in an almost inaudible whisper.

"I hear someone coming.. I wish I could stay like this forever." She reluctantly pulled herself away from his embrace.

* * *

The hour went by slowly but surely and once it ended, everyone but Brennan and Booth flew out of the room.

"Bones, before you go.. Can we meet up later today?"

"Where do you wish to meet?"

"I don't know yet.. For now, I'll meet you at your locker when the final bell rings."

"O-okay. See you later, I suppose." She smiled at him and disappeared once again. Booth gathered his things and left the room.

"Don't mess this up again." He muttered to himself.

* * *

It had been over an hour since Brennan and Booth had last spoken, which gave Brennan ample time to calm down. She was now making her way down the Angela's locker after a quick stop at her own.

"Hey, Ange."

"Oh hi! I thought I wouldn't be seeing you."

"I'm sorry about this morning.."

"You don't have to apologize, honey. I was just concerned. You're never that out of it. I see that you look much better now. I'm glad."

"I really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Not even you. I didn't sleep very well last night because of something that happened yesterday with Booth." Brennan saw Angela raise her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Knowing you, you're gonna want an explanation for all of this, so I'll explain more when we sit down."

"You must know me really well." Angela laughed.

"I'd like to think so!" Brennan smiled at her friend.

"Come on sweetie, let's go. I want that explanation."

* * *

_**This cliffhanger actually isn't too bad this time! There's a reason for that. I actually have the next chapter written out, so I should be able to update by the middle of the week, if not earlier. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review! Your feedback is very important to me. As always, thank you for reading! See you soon :)**_


	4. Are We Unofficially Official?

_**Well, this is extremely late. Sorry guys. Life got extremely hectic and I got tons of shit piled on me. And I just got braces. Sigh. But here I am. I'd like to thank you all for your kind reviews on chapter three. I'm so glad you enjoy my story! Oh and before I finish this author's note off, I'd like to thank my best friend Autumn once again for her help. She's the best. Also before I start, I'd like to apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter and previous chapters as well. Sometimes I edit these when I'm half asleep lol. Reviews are very much appreciated, as always.**_

* * *

"Come on sweetie, let's go. I want that explanation."

The girls walked down a very long hall to the cafeteria. After searching for a few moments, they found an empty table and sat down.

"So? Do I get my explanation yet?" Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Eager much?" They both laughed.

"I'm serious!"

"Fine. Let me have at least one bite to eat first." She grabbed a fruit bowl from her lunch tote and took a stab at a piece of pineapple.

"Yesterday I had free period and so did Booth. We walked to the library together and stayed there. Things were 'heating up' between us, I suppose you can say. The bell rang and I tried to run, but he caught my wrist before I could get away." She took another stab, this time at a mango slice, and a sip of her water before continuing.

"And he asked me to go out with him." Angela dropped her fork.

"Angela, are you okay?" She chuckled.

"I told you he liked you! Bren, you should listen to me more! What else happened?!" Brennan put both of her hands up in surrender.

"Geez, you are very eager for details today." She smiled and shook her head.

"Well, at first I said no... But then he convinced me to say yes." Angela smiled and applauded, receiving an eye roll from Brennan.

"I finally got to run off after that, but..."

"But what?"

"Before I left, I kissed his cheek. I escaped right after. I'm glad we didn't have any homework because I wouldn't have been able to get it done. I couldn't focus on anything. I thought I made a mistake by saying yes. That's why I had such a hard time sleeping last night. My lack of sleep is the reason why I seemed so mad at you this morning. But then I ran into him today. And I mean that literally... At first it was going well, but then I messed it up like I always do."

"Oh sweetie.." Angela frowned then took a bite of her sandwich.

"But since we have math together I saw him again and now..." She smiled and looked down as she felt her cheeks get red.

"Now everything's okay. He's meeting me at my locker after the dismissal bell and he's taking me somewhere so we can talk." The two noticed lunch was over and made their way to the trash bins and then to their lockers.

"This is so great, Bren. I'm so happy for you! You found a _real _guy! Just know that whatever happens, I'm always right here when you need me."

"I know, Ange. Thank you." She pulled Angela into a hug.

"Good luck with Booth tonight. Knock 'em dead!"

"I don't know what that means, but okay!" The girls parted ways to go to their lockers and the rest of their classes.

* * *

The dismissal bell finally rang after what seemed like years. Brennan felt her heart rate begin to speed up at the thought of meeting Booth at her locker in a few minutes. She took a deep breath and headed down to the hall to her locker. Booth was waiting for her, just as he said he'd be. When she saw him, a smile appeared on her face.

"Hey." She smiled at him.

"Hey Bones." He stepped over to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm really glad to see you. I've been waiting for this all day."

"Well, grab your stuff and then we can go!" He beamed his charm smile at her and she laughed in response.

"Alright, give me a minute." She packed the necessary things into her bag and then they were off.

"So, where are we going?"

"Let's just walk around for a bit first. It's really nice out today."

"It really is. Good idea." They smiled at each other again.

"You know Bones, I've been thinking a lot about this thing we have going on here. This is really different from any relationship I'm used to, and I like it."

"I like it too.." She blushed.

"Well good." Booth took a leap and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"So, where should we go now?" She looked up at him with a smile on her face as she asked the question.

"Well, how about we just go to my house for a bit? I have a feeling it'll get dark really fast tonight."

"Fine with me."

About 25 minutes later, they arrived at a beige-painted two story home with what looked like a possible third floor or attic. The house was older, but still seemed to be in good shape. Booth unlocked the front door and held it open for Brennan.

"Thank you." Booth stepped in right after her.

"Pops? Jared? You here?" No answer.

"Huh. I guess it's just us for now. Oh right, it's Thursday. Pops plays cards with his friends on Thursdays. Jared is probably out getting high like usual." He sighed and shook his head.

"Who's Jared?"

"Oh I never told you?" She shook her head.

"Jared's my brother. Unfortunately. He's an idiot."

"Oh, I see."

"I'm nothing like Jared, believe me. He's always out getting high with this group of idiot sophomores like himself. I'm always playing hockey or stuck here doing homework. 11th grade sucks." He laughed.

"I like homework, actually. But sometimes it does get overwhelming."

"Enough about homework, let's go upstairs. I have my own loft space in the attic."

They went up to the second floor and then to a door at the end of a hall to climb another flight of stairs to the attic.

"And here it is." He closed the door behind them. The room was a decent size with a fairly large window across the room covered halfway by a set of blinds. There was a couch against the wall to their left with a TV on an entertainment stand in front of it and a bed in a corner to the right side of the room.

"This is really nice. And it's all yours?"

"Yeah, all mine! It's a great place to escape after a long day. I love it up here."

"I wish I had a place like this. My room is nice as it is, but if it was on its own floor I'd love it even more."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. I used to share a room with Jared before I took the attic for myself. Pops helped me renovate it a few years ago. It was really dark an dusty until I made it my own." They walked over to the couch and sat down.

"So, Bones.. We still need to talk about what happened earlier today."

"I'm sorry for losing my composure.. I just.."

"Hey. no, don't apologize. I'm the one who pushed you too far. It's my fault."

"No, it's not. I'm just... I've had to adjust to a lot of things in a short period of time and.."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay. When you're ready, I'll be ready to listen."

"Thanks, Booth." After a few moments, she leaned into his side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. A tear slid down Brennan's cheek and more followed. She swatted them away as soon as she realized she was crying.

"I'm right here. It's okay. Let it out. That's what I'm here for." He rubbed her right shoulder as she cried against his chest.

Several minutes ticked by as he let her cry. The sound of Brennan's sobs, sniffling, and breathing, along with the occasional car that drove down the street and the sound of Booth rubbing Brennan's shoulder were the only things you would be able to hear. Out of the blue, Brennan began to speak.

"When my parents disappeared I closed myself up. Russ didn't understand why. He didn't get it at all. He never seemed very upset that they were gone. So he left me too. Now I'm in the foster system and I hate it. I've already been to four different foster homes since Russ left.. I was abused in most of them."

"Oh Bones.."

"Where I am now is the fifth foster home I've been in so far and I got lucky... Although I don't believe in luck... Lynn and Dave don't abuse me even though I don't think Lynn likes me. I didn't think high school would be the least bit enjoyable besides the anthropology classes they offer. But then I met you yesterday and I feel like I completely changed my mind." She wiped a few tears away.

"I'm sorry for rambling.. I shouldn't have said anything.."

"No, don't apologize. Since you shared something about your past, I'll do the same."

"Booth, you don't have to.."

"My dad.. He uh, he used to beat us. Me mostly. I took the blow for Jared as much as I could. He's my little brother, you know? I have to protect him. Pops took us in after he saw and I haven't seen my dad since. My mom left a while before Pops took us in. I haven't seen her much after she left." She put her hand on his thigh.

"I guess we've both had a rough past, huh?" She forced herself to smile.

"Rough is an understatement, that's for damn sure."

"Yes, it is. I'm usually good at finding better words for things, but I can't seem to do that right now."

"You know what we should do? We should watch a movie."

"Oh! I know what we should watch! We should watch The Mummy! Not the newer one, the 1932 version."

"Nah, too old. We should watch Starsky and Hutch. It's awesome."

"I don't even know what that is, Booth. How about we watch a documentary on the Hittites?"

"What in the hell are Hittites?"

"Have you not learned about them in World History? Seriously?"

"Maybe I have, but I don't remember. Let's watch Jaws!"

"The shark movie? Why? How about some Nova reruns?"

"Nova? Really? Not even gonna go there. What about V for Vendetta?"

"I've never heard of that."

"Well then we should watch it! Come on, Bones. Please?"

"Fine. You may have to explain some things to me though. Consider yourself warned." He chuckled.

"I'm good with that." He popped the DVD into the DVD player and waited for the movie to start.

"You look a little cold, Bones. C'mere." She scooted close to him once again and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders just like before.

"Much better." They both put their feet up on the ottoman and relaxed as the movie began.

Brennan felt herself become increasingly tired as each scene passed by. She yawned and snuggled in closer to Booth. He responded by kissing the top of her head.

"This is nice. I've never done this with anyone before."

"Neither have I." He rubbed her shoulder and felt her smile against his chest.

Though both were tired, it seemed that Brennan was the most exhausted of the two. Her eyes began to close slowly and sure enough, she fell asleep. Booth looked over at her smiled.

"_She's so adorable when she's asleep." _He thought to himself.

Brennan snapped awake after about 15 minutes of sleeping on Booth.

"Did I just fall asleep?"

"You did. And you looked adorable."

"Oh god." She hid her face in her hands.

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed. You didn't sleep well last night. I'm glad I could help you get some more. Even though it was only like 15 minutes." She laughed softly.

"I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but your body is a very comfortable pillow."

"Why thank you." He puffed out his chest a little bit, causing her to burst out laughing.

"You're such a-" The door opened just as Brennan was about to finish her sentence.

"Pops? What are you doing here?" They both stood up.

"I came to ask you about dinner.. Who's this?"

"Oh, uh, this is Bo- Temperance Brennan." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Booth." Booth reached for a water bottle and took a few sips.

"You can call me Hank, sweetheart. Would you like to stay for dinner or does Seeley have other plans?" Booth choked and began to cough.

"Pops."

"What! I'm just asking!" Brennan stifled a laugh.

"I'll figure out the plan by myself. Can you just..?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be in the living room if you need anything." He waved as Hank closed the door behind him.

"Well, Bones? Do you wanna stay for dinner?"

"I should probably tell Dave and Lynn where I am.. But I'd love to."

"We can probably just bring it up here if you want. My brother will probably be home soon, if he isn't already. I'd rather you stay away from him because..."

"I get it. Bringing it up here is good with me. What did you have in mind for dinner?"

"Well, we can get takeout if you want." They both spoke at the same time.

"Thai food?" They laughed.

"I'll get a menu from Pops." He smiled at her before descending down the stairs.

Brennan stood from the couch and walked to the window. She began to think.

"_What am I to Booth?_"

* * *

Brennan and Booth now sat in silence on the couch with their takeout cartons of Thai.

"You okay, Bones?"

"Yes, of course. Just... Thinking."

"Gotcha."

They both made an odd facial expression. Brennan played with her Pad Thai and bit her lip before breaking the awkward silence.

"So um... Booth. I was wondering... What exactly are we?"

* * *

**_That chapter was suuuuuper long, geez. I couldn't seem to stop writing! I suppose that's a good thing. It's better than not being able to write anything at all. I'll try to put up chapter 5 soon. It's not done yet, but I'm pretty close to finishing it. Please leave me a review! Don't be shy, I don't bite :0) I'll see you guys soon with another update!_**


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